Saotome Ranma and the Warrior's Heart
by The Dreaming Immortal
Summary: Ranma Saotome's complicated life was finally starting to get better... until a plot by Mousse to kill him using a cursed artifact kickstarts an adventure that places the fate of the multiverse at the hands of our favorite pig-tailed martial artist! MULTICROSSOVER, not just SSBB.
1. Prologue : A Fateful Discovery

Disclaimer: None of the characters depicted in this story are of my own creation. They are all the property of their respective owners. Since this will be a multicrossover, I will not be mentioning the other characters yet for fear of spoilers. For now, Ranma 1/2 and all related characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, and Super Smash Brothers and all related characters are property of Nintendo.

SAOTOME RANMA AND THE WARRIOR'S HEART

~o~0~o~

PROLOGUE: A FATEFUL DISCOVERY

[Tendo Dojo, Friday, 8PM, Two months after the failed wedding disaster]

"YOU DAMN PERVERT! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" *SMASH*

"Stupid tomboy. That's the fifth time this week!" Ranma muttered to himself as he flew through the air courtesy of Mallet Airlines. It wasn't his fault that someone had swiped his clothes from the bathroom while he was taking a bath, forcing him to walk out of the bathroom clad only in a towel, whereupon he had almost immediately bumped into Akane, with violent results.

Alas for the young pig-tailed warrior, his relationship with the erstwhile heir to the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts was at an all-time low, to put it mildly. It felt like such a disappointment for Ranma, especially now that his two other fiancées – the okonomiyaki chef Ukyo Kuonji and the Chinese Amazon Shampoo – had apparently cooled their heels and were no longer pursuing him as vigorously as before. They were seemingly content to cultivate, or in Ukyo's case re-establish, a closer friendship with him. With them less inclined to harass him with amorous intentions, he had vaguely hoped to cultivate some sort of positive relationship with his Tendo betrothed instead of the repetitive cycle of violent arguments and vitriolic name-calling, interspersed with quick moments of tenderness, which they had developed.

But Akane, upon being made aware of the situation with the other fiancées, had not reacted as Ranma had hoped. Paranoid at what to her were 'underhanded tactics that only an idiot wouldn't be able to see', she had expressly forbidden him to have any sort of contact, friendly or otherwise, with the other girls. She simply did not trust a 'perverted, womanizing jerk' like him to refrain from doing 'perverted, womanizing things' to his other fiancées.

This was something that Ranma, as starved for friendship as he was, simply could not allow. It did not help matters that Ukyo and Shampoo had extended offers to be his sparring and training partners, both on the pretext of wanting to improve their martial arts skills. He had taken them up on their offer warily, but had been pleasantly surprised after several sparring sessions had gone by with neither of the girls attempting to glomp, kiss, or otherwise touch him in any way that did not involve martial arts.

Even more surprising was that Ukyo and Shampoo seemed to have developed a friendship of their own, especially after a small series of adventures that involved Ukyo rescuing Shampoo from another abortive attempt by Maomolin to make her his bride, and Shampoo repaying the favour by taking a blow for Ukyo during a scuffle with Pantyhose Taro. Ranma had soon found them sparring together and casually chatting with almost no hint of hostilities between them. Although Ranma was still suspicious when they occasionally conversed and giggled between themselves in hushed tones while sneaking glances at him, he had quickly grown to be much more comfortable in their presence – something that drove Akane, Genma, and Soun mad.

Ranma was pulled out of his thoughts as he felt himself begin to descend. Taking a glance at where he was going to land, he saw that, by sheer coincidence, Akane had managed to send him flying on a direct course to a small campsite just outside of Nerima that he and the girls used as a sparring ground.

"Lucky I have a tent and some clothes stashed away there. Mebbe I'll camp out for a while before going back to the dojo. I just hope neither Ucchan or Shanchan are at the campsite. Better brace myself, this is gonna hurt!"

~o~o~o~o~o~

As it so happened, both Ukyo and Shampoo were indeed at the campsite, fighting it out with gusto. Although their recent training sessions with Ranma had been very fruitful, he preferred to fight exclusively hand-to-hand. As they both preferred using weapons, it was something that they could train each other in and bond over better without Ranma.

The past two months had been both strange and surprisingly fun for both girls. After the fiasco at the wedding, they had both been advised (Ukyo by Konatsu and Shampoo by her great-grandmother Cologne) to attempt to use the soft approach – that is, develop a friendship that would eventually bloom into a romance. The sparring sessions were their idea of a peace offering, as well as proof that they were sincere in their offer of friendship. Ranma had taken the bait, although the gambit had nearly been destroyed when the girls both realized what the other one was up to during one sparring session. But a glance at Ranma's frown had them making peace, and his resultant smile at them was well worth it. Initially it had been like pulling teeth as they both forced themselves to get along with one another, but after a while it became easier. After the incidents with Maomolin and Taro, the girls were surprised to realize that they had truly become the best of friends, both coming to consider the other as a sister they never had.

Any onlooker watching the on-going sparring session, however, would have thought that the girls were mortal enemies hell-bent on killing each other. The girls had been training and sparring for the better part of the afternoon, and as such the both of them were bruised, bloody, and bone-tired. Ukyo's right arm was shaking as she wielded her battle spatula one-handed, her left arm having been temporarily paralyzed by a powerful blow from the flat of her opponent's dao. Shampoo, on the other hand, was limping slightly due to a massive hit that Ukyo had scored on her right upper thigh. In addition, at some point during the fight Shampoo had made a comment about "letting the girls breathe" before delivering a vertical slash that cut through Ukyo's blouse and chest bindings. Ukyo had responded with a diagonal slash that cut open Shampoo's dress from shoulder to hip. The rest of the fight continued in a similar manner until both girls were nearly naked save for their panties and a few scraps of clothing. Now they eyed each other, slowly gathering strength for one last attack. Just as they were about to clash for the final time, however, Ranma landed with a boom at the base of a tree just behind Shampoo.

Ukyo and Shampoo blinked in unison. Ranma let out a muffled groan of pain. At the sound, the two girls dropped their respective weapons and rushed over to their mutual fiancé who laid face-up at the foot of the tree, his eyes swirling in a daze.

"Ohmigod, Ranchan! Are you okay?"

"Airen! What happen to you?"

Ranma groaned again and shook his head slightly to stop it from spinning. Blinking wearily, he looked up and saw the two girls bent over him, worried looks on their faces. Despite the pounding in his head, he couldn't help but smile at the sight, even if a little voice in the back of his head was telling him that they were topless and he was getting a free show.

"Ucchan… Shanchan… You girls look so cute… But why're ya both naked?" At Ranma's comment, Ukyo squealed and raised one hand to cover her bosom. However, Shampoo merely smirked and thrust out her chest proudly.

"Airen like what he sees? Shampoo have better bust than Ukyo-jie, yes? Besides, Airen no can talk. You naked too." Ranma glanced down at himself and saw that Shampoo was right. Ukyo squealed again and covered her eyes with her other hand, only to peer through the gaps in her fingers a moment later. Ranma half-heartedly tried to cover himself while trying to remember where he stashed his extra clothes. Spotting his satchel hanging from a tree branch up on the tree he was laying at the foot of, he made to get it while attempting to explain himself to the now giggling girls.

"Hey, it ain't my fault Akane malleted me right after I got out of the bath! And close your eyes so I can get dressed, darn it!" Ranma tried to get up when a powerful dizziness overtook him. His vision suddenly blurred, and he found himself slumping back down on the ground. Noticing his distress, the girls stopped giggling and drew closer to him in concern.

"You okay, Ranchan? You hit the tree pretty hard with the back of your head. Don't move much, I think you might have a concussion." Ukyo grabbed a rucksack she had brought with her containing a change of clothes and placed it under Ranma's head to serve as a pillow. Shampoo, noticing where Ranma had been looking earlier, leapt up to the tree and took down Ranma's satchel. She was about to hand it to Ranma when a particularly naughty thought entered her head. She turned to Ukyo, grinning like her cursed form.

"Ukyo-jie, Shampoo not sure Airen can dress himself while he like this." She opened the satchel and took out one of Ranma's Chinese shirts and a pair of pants, tossing the shirt to Ukyo with a smirk. "We should help him, yes?" Ukyo looked momentarily unsure, but when Shampoo started feeling up Ranma's legs while placing them inside the pants and Ranma responded with a low moan, her resolve strengthened.

_We may be friends now, but I'll be damned if I let Shampoo get Ranchan all to herself! I'm his fiancée too, damn it!_ With that thought, Ukyo decided on a course of action. Moving behind her fiancé, she began to run her hands up and down his arms, trying to get him to open them from where he had them crossed protectively over his groin.

"That's a good idea, Shampoo. C'mon, Ranchan. Open those arms so we can put your clothes on you." When Ranma resisted, she began to rub her breasts along his bare back. She felt his resolve begin to weaken, and moved her head forward and began nibbling on his ear. When that didn't work, she decided to go for the kill. Her hands cupped the sides of Ranma's face, and she pulled him close for a searing kiss. Ranma's eyes, which had started to close due to Shampoo's massage-like caresses on his legs, snapped open. Ukyo took advantage of his surprised state and forcefully shoved her tongue into his mouth.

Ranma's hands went limp with shock, giving Shampoo a clear view of her prize. To her consternation, it was still limp. A quick glance up showed that Ukyo was preoccupied with trying to extract Ranma's tonsils with her tongue. _Nice going sister! Now, let's really blow our husband's mind!_ She grabbed Ranma's cock and gave the tip a lick.

Ranma abruptly tore himself away from Ukyo as a white-hot lance of pain ripped through his groin area. Rolling away from the girls, he curled into a foetal position and gritted his teeth. Another lance of pain stabbed through him, and this time he could not prevent a cry of agony from escaping his lips.

"ARRRGH! It hurts! By Kami, it hurts!"

Shampoo and Ukyo watched in horror as their fiancé started to roll around in pain. Shampoo in particular was almost in tears. She had only wanted to make him feel good, not cause him terrible pain. She glanced over at Ukyo, half-expecting an attack, but to her surprise the okonomiyaki chef looked every bit as surprised as she was.

Ukyo was confused as hell. One moment, she had been making out with Ranchan, the next he was screaming as if someone had stabbed him in the nuts. She had turned to blame Shampoo, but one look at the girl's horrified and tearful expression convinced her that it wasn't her friend's fault. So what the hell had happened?

After a few moments, Ranma stopped rolling around and was now only breathing heavily. The pain had ceased, and now he had to find out exactly what had caused. Struggling, he managed to get to his hands and knees. He looked up at the girls. Ukyo had an expression of confusion and concern on her face. Shampoo looked to be about an inch from bursting into tears.

"What," he croaked out, "the hell just happened to me?"

The sound of his voice galvanized the girls into action and they rushed towards him. Shampoo reached him first. Kneeling down, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and helped him to his feet, all the while whispering repeated and tearful apologies. Ukyo crouched down and pulled up his pants, managing to catch a glimpse of his crotch. What she saw only increased her worry. Around his groin area were several circular marks. They were reddish and inflamed, as if someone had taken a heated pellet and pressed them at certain spots.

'_That looks a lot like a… but how the hell did that happen?'_ Ukyo finished pulling up Ranma's pants and then helped Shampoo carry Ranma over to where he had first crashed. They all sat down at the foot of the tree, Ranma's back leaning against the trunk while both of the girls were under his arms. All of the lustful thoughts had been driven out of their minds with what had happened to Ranma. They sat quietly for a moment, until Shampoo started sniffling. Both Ranma and Ukyo turned to find the girl slowly beginning to cry. Ranma's arm around Shampoo's shoulder tightened, which prompted Shampoo to start speaking.

"Sh-Shampoo s-so sorry, Airen… I not know what happen! Shampoo only want to make Airen feel good! Not cause him terrible pain!" Feeling a bit chagrined at seeing Shampoo's tears, Ukyo spoke up in her defence.

"It ain't your fault, sugar. We had no idea he would react like that. Ranchan isn't mad at you, aintcha, Ranchan?" Ranma nodded in agreement.

"Ucchan's right, Shanchan. But I would like to know what it was you did. Mebbe we can find out why it hurt so much." Shampoo blushed briefly at Ranma's request.

"Sh-Shampoo massage Airen's legs, get him to relax. When Ukyo-jie and Airen kiss, Airen hands loosen, let Shampoo see little-Ranma." Shampoo gave a teary smirk. "Or maybe Big-Ranma be better name. Shampoo remember village lessons on pleasing husbands, kiss Big-Ranma's head, then suddenly Airen start roll around screaming." At Shampoo's explanation, Ranma had a confused look, while Ukyo's expression seemed to be one of someone slowly putting together the pieces of a puzzle. After a few more seconds, Ukyo asked her fiancé a question.

"Ranchan… This may sound somewhat crude, but you've got to answer me honestly, because I think I know what's going on. Have you ever masturbated before?" Ranma's face turned bright red in embarrassment at the question. A look at Ukyo's face showed him that she was being completely serious though, so he answered as seriously as he could, even if the answer was horrifyingly embarrassing.

"Once. When I was just 10. But Pops caught me doing it and told me never to do it again. Said it made people weak and that it was bad for the Art." Ukyo's eyes narrowed, and when she spoke again there was a razor-sharp edge to her tone.

"Did he do anything to you afterwards?" Ranma furrowed his brow in recollection, and then slowly nodded.

"Yeah. I remember he said he needed to correct the damage I had done, so he pressed a couple of points on… SONUVABITCH!" Ranma's anger exploded as it dawned on him what his father had done. Ukyo nodded in confirmation.

"Hmm. Yeah, I'm almost sure of this now. But I need to check something to be certain. Ranchan, lie down will ya? Shampoo, pull down his pants." As the two complied, Ukyo went over to the other side of the clearing, where she and Shampoo had stashed their own packs. Opening her own, she rummaged through it for a moment before pulling out a scroll labelled "Kuonji Hijutsu #5". Taking the scroll in one hand and both of their packs in the other, she turned around and was met with the sight of Shampoo taking advantage of her momentary distraction to straddle Ranma's chest and kiss him senseless.

Irritation bubbled up within the chef, but she decided to put it aside for now. Making her way back to the pair, she sat down beside them, cleared her throat, and waited for them to notice her. A tic mark formed on her brow when they ignored her presence and continued kissing. When Shampoo started grinding herself against Ranma's chest, Ukyo decided enough was enough and unceremoniously yanked the Chinese Amazon off of their shared fiancé's lips.

"Alright, alright, knock it off, Shampoo." She waved the scroll in her hand at the two. "Now, this is one of the Kuonji secret family scrolls. Only family members can see it, but for this once I'll make an exception." She unrolled the scroll and showed it to her fiancé and best friend. The top, sides, and bottom part of the scroll contained writing, but the greater majority of the scroll was dominated by the detailed outline of a human, with several points running throughout the body and lines connecting those points. Shampoo noticed the drawing's similarity to her great-grandmother's pressure point chart and commented on it.

"That look like chart for pressure points, Ukyo-jie, but with lines. You cure Airen using pressure points?"

"It's not a pressure point chart, although it is something similar. It's actually a chart showing the tenketsu, or chakra points, in the body." At that point, both Shampoo and Ranma looked confused. Ukyo gave a sigh. "Chakra is a combination of physical energy and spiritual energy. It flows throughout the body through pathways, and can be released through the tenketsu, or chakra points. Knowledge of them is something that has been passed down through the Kuonji family for generations, dating all the way back to our ninja ancestors." After taking a moment to let her friends digest this little tidbit about her family history, Ukyo continued.

"Anyway, when I was pulling up your pants earlier, I noticed that there were several red circle marks around your crotch. They correspond to where the tenketsu are located in that part of the body according to the chart. I think that Genma might have done something to your tenketsu and that's why you're feeling pain when you should only be feeling, err, pleasure. I'm going to use a secret Kuonji technique to check."

Ukyo clapped her hands together, closed her eyes, and then concentrated momentarily before murmuring in a low voice.

"Kuonji Secret Technique: Hands of Revelation."

A green shimmer formed around her hands. She pulled her hands apart, the green shimmer still remaining, and slowly placed them palms-down a few inches over Ranma's groin area. Ranma gave out a muffled moan as the warmth from Ukyo's technique caressed his lower regions. Shampoo gasped as small, reddish circles similar in appearance to a bee sting began appearing around Ranma's crotch. As Ukyo moved her hands around, it revealed other circles near Ranma's abdomen, only these ones were blue, not red. When Ukyo moved her palm away from the area, the circles also disappeared. Looking over to Shampoo, Ukyo motioned with her head towards the scroll.

"Quick, get a pencil from my pack and mark the circles on the tenketsu chart that look red. Hurry, sugar, I can't keep this technique up for very long!" Shampoo quickly searched through the chef's pack and after locating the pencil, quickly did as Ukyo instructed. When Shampoo indicated that she was done, Ukyo raised her hands up from Ranma's crotch and then clapped them together again. The green light disappeared and Ukyo fell forward onto Ranma's chest in exhaustion, making him "Oof!" in surprise.

Ukyo did not mean to collapse on top of Ranma, but the technique had taken more out of her than she had expected. She was breathing heavily and her entire upper body was covered in a light sheen of sweat, indicative of how exhausting that technique was. _To be fair, I have been fighting all day with Shampoo. My stamina's just about had it._ She took a moment to feel the contours of Ranma's muscular chest while she tried to catch her breath. Ranma stiffened for a moment and turned a wary eye at Shampoo, but she simply smirked and began searching through her pack. In a second, she found what she was looking for and pulled out two large blankets. She took one of them and spread it out over the ground then using her prodigious strength lifted both Ranma and Ukyo up. She placed them down gently on the blanket, lay down on Ranma's left side, and then took the other blanket and covered all of them with it. Ukyo shifted off Ranma's chest and then snuggled down under his right arm. Ranma blinked twice, and then after realizing that the girls were not going to fight, slowly began to smile. He drew both Ukyo and Shampoo closer to him, the girls using his shoulders as pillows as a comfortable silence descended on the three. Ukyo was about to fall asleep when Shampoo spoke up.

"Ukyo-jie? What that technique you use? What wrong with Airen?"

"It's a secret Kuonji technique called the Hands of Revelation. Basically I channel chakra to my hands and sort of scan the body to show the tenketsu. If the tenketsu is normal, it shows up as a blue circle. But if there's something wrong with it, it will show up as either red or black. Red means the tenketsu is blocked, black means it's been destroyed. Since Ranchan's tenketsu glowed red, it means his tenketsu have been blocked."

"Can you fix it, Ukyo-jie?"

"Sorry, sugar. I don't know how. The only way I know of to unblock tenketsu is to force chakra through them or to have the one who did the blocking perform a counter-technique. Only Ranchan or his dad can remove the block." At this point, Ranma spoke up.

"Meh. I'll do it tomorrow. Right now, all I wanna do is sleep. Uhh… you girls aren't gonna leave, are ya?" He felt both of them shake their heads.

"Shampoo get permission from great-grandmother to leave Nekohanten this weekend. Tell her I do much training with Ukyo-jie."

"I told Konatsu that I was going on a weekend training retreat with Shampoo. He has the Ucchan's handled while I'm gone." At the girls' reassurance, Ranma gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh. Good." And to the delight of both girls, Ranma's arms moved from their shoulders down to their waists as he hugged them both to him. "I don't wanna go back to the Dojo anytime soon. Let's stay out here for the next couple of days, alright?"

"Okay, Airen."

"Anything you say, Ranchan."

The clearing fell silent for a few moments, until Ukyo spoke up again.

"Ranchan, did you just cop a feel off my ass?"

"No, Ucchan. I didn't."

"Oh. Was it you, Shampoo?"

"Sorry. Thought it was Airen's. Ukyo-jie have nice ass."

"Oh. Uh, thanks, I guess."

And the clearing fell silent again as its three occupants drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note: The prologue is up on this planned epic-length Ranma 1/2 story. Chapter 1 should be out sometime within the next two weeks. Until then, I welcome any comments, criticisms, reviews, and wild guessing on who or what will be making an appearance. Suggestions will also be considered, as although I have the general story planned out, there's always room for a sidequest or two.


	2. Chapter 1: The Heart Arrives

Disclaimer: None of the characters depicted in this story are of my own creation. They are all the property of their respective owners.

SAOTOME RANMA AND THE WARRIOR'S HEART

~o~0~o~

CHAPTER ONE: THE HEART ARRIVES

[Nekohanten, Saturday, 9AM]

Elder Cologne of the Joketsuzoku stared intently at the contents of a white cardboard box that had been delivered two hours before to the Nekohanten via express mail straight from their home village in the Byankala Mountain Range in China. Sitting inside the box was a small wooden treasure chest approximately fifteen inches square. The box was hinged, and on the lid was a curious symbol. It resembled two concentric circles, the inner one smaller than the outer one, with two lines running parallel to each other running horizontally across the outer circle while bordering the inner circle. While the lid bore no locking mechanism, a flimsy-looking paper with the character of "SEAL" was effaced upon the box.

The recognition of the sealing method was what made Cologne wary. For what on earth could the small chest contain that would necessitate the use of a 2000 year old technique that the Joketsuzoku originally developed to contain high-level demons and other malevolent spirits? Perhaps the scroll that came with the chest, and which bore the Joketsuzoku seal, had the answer. Unrolling the scroll, Cologne began to read the missive which had travelled with the ominous little chest. It was written in Mandarin, and she instantly recognized the handwriting as belonging to Perfume, a fellow Elder. She began to read the scroll out loud to herself.

"_Esteemed Elder Kuh Lon,_

_Greetings! I hope you and your family are well and in good health, and wish that you may soon be done with your task of bringing home your great-granddaughter's errant husband. The village has missed your sage advice and wise council, although I and Ba Rum are doing our best in your stead. There are still many things, however, which only you and your experience are uniquely qualified, and we deem the contents of this chest to be something that only you can safeguard._

_Within the chest is a small jewel, known as the Burst Heart, which a traveling merchant brought to the village some few months ago. He had purchased it from another merchant who had told him that it was a cursed artefact of Chinese Amazon origin, and he had thusly gone to our village to verify the claim and perhaps learn more about its worth. However, our records give no mention of any such artefact bearing that name, and the merchant in his annoyance left the artefact to our safekeeping._

_It was not more than two days after the merchant left that we learned that the artefact is truly cursed, but in a strange way. A thief attempted to steal the Burst Heart, and was found dead the next morning, his hand clutching the small jewel but with no apparent injury to his person. His heart had simply stopped beating. Later incidents produced similar results, with another thief dying while two others became reduced to catatonic vegetables. Two of our own people accidentally touched the heart, but were burned severely as a result. We have deduced that the Burst Heart kills or renders incompetent those who touch it directly with evil intent, and burns those who are warriors or who wield a weapon. Only an innocent may touch the heart without being punished, as we observed Ba Rum's two-year old great-great-grandson pick it up and play with it while coming to no harm whatsoever._

_We have sealed the Heart within its original chest, and deliver it to you so that you may more acutely examine it and store it for safekeeping. _

_Best wishes,_

_Elder Peh Fium_

_P.S. How is my great-grandnephew Mu Tzu doing? I hope he is not bothering your Xian Pu too much."_

"Well, this is interesting. I believe I will keep the box here for a while and examine it later. Right now, there is too much work to be done… Oh, for all the times for that great-granddaughter of mine to leave… Although the benefits will be well worth my added work, if Son-in-Law decides to go through with it." Cologne cackled to herself as she placed the box on a shelf in her room. After rolling up the scroll, she placed it on top of the box, and then hopped onto her stick and pogoed out of the room.

When the door had closed, a pair of spectacled avian eyes looked in from out the window, its gaze settling directly on the small wooden box.

'_A most interesting artefact. This will be the tool I need to finally be rid of that insidious Saotome and claim Shampoo for my own!'_

Anyone seeing the outside of the Nekohanten's upper window would have seen the most peculiar sight of a duck attempting to do an evil laugh.

~0~0~0~

[A forest clearing on the outskirts of Nerima, 9AM]

Most unusually for him, Ranma Saotome's day did not start with him suddenly jerking into consciousness. His usual morning training, precipitated by his father, most often involved surprise attacks while Ranma was asleep, which would lead to him beginning the day soaking wet, in female form, and filled with the desire to beat the unholy stuffing out of his old man.

This morning, however, the young martial artist's return to the waking world was decidedly more pleasant. Brought out of the pleasant haze of sleep by the light of the sun shining down on his face, Ranma's first thought was that he felt incredibly warm and comfortable. Keeping his eyes closed he focused on the sensations that his body was feeling, attempting to keep them imprinted in his memory.

The smooth fabric touching his bare back told him that he was shirtless and lying on something, probably a blanket, which had been spread out over grassy ground. A second blanket covered him and two other things lying under each of his arms and using his shoulders and chest for pillows. His arms were wrapped around both of the things, and he took a moment to feel them with his hands. The soft and smooth feel of the things caused him to continue doing so, until the thing on his right began to moan out his name, while a sleepy, breathy, familiar voice whispered into his left ear.

"Aiyah… Airen use too-too good way to wake Shampoo up. Want Shampoo return favour?"

The Amazon's accented Japanese pierced Ranma's post-concussed and sleep-addled brain, causing him to remove his hands as if they had been burned. The sudden loss of touch apparently did not sit well with the thing on his right, as a second sleepy voice with a Kansai accent expressed.

"Damnit Ranchan, why'd you stop? Just when it was getting good, too."

The realization that two of his fiancées were lying beside him – and apparently sans clothing if what his hands had felt were correct – instantly turned Ranma's body into stone. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, he attempted to brace himself for the collateral damage from the fight that would no doubt ensue within the next two seconds. When the two seconds passed and no sounds of a struggle reached his ears, he tentatively opened his eyes to a sight that the vast majority of men his age would kill to see.

Two of his fiancées were lying on top of him, Shampoo on his left and Ukyo on his right. Shampoo had propped herself up on her right elbow, while her left hand was reaching around to caress his chest. Ukyo was mirroring Shampoo, only her free hand was rubbing her eyes in a way that made her look absolutely adorable. The girls noticed his frightened expression, and they both blinked momentarily before turning to stare at each other.

"Why Airen look so nervous, Ukyo-jie?" Ukyo, although still a bit sleepy, nevertheless answered sarcastically.

"Gee Shanchan, I have no idea. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we're pretty much naked in front of him?" Shampoo shook her head.

"I don't think so. We naked last night, he no seem to mind. Maybe it because we not fighting?" Ukyo smirked at that.

"Sugar, we were fighting the whole day yesterday. I'm in no mood to be going on an all-out brawl this early. Besides…" Ukyo's smirk widened. "I'm sure Ranchan likes us better like this, dontcha, Ranchan?"

"Uhmm… Uhhh… That is…" Ranma muttered out incoherencies as his brain tried to process the information it had just received. Ukyo and Shampoo giggled at their fiancé's plight. Their giggles got louder when Ranma's stomach growled loudly. Giving the girls a sheepish grin, Ranma tried to explain.

"Sorry girls. I didn't get to eat a lot last night." Hearing that, Ukyo stood up and stretched (causing Ranma's eyes to nearly pop out of his head), and then went over to her pack where she took out a shirt. After shrugging it on, she rummaged further in her pack before taking out a portable stove and some ingredients.

"Alright, Ranchan, gimme a sec to fix you a breakfast okonomiyaki. You want one too, Shanchan?" Turning around, she found that yet again Shampoo had taken advantage of her momentary inattention to attempt to remove Ranma's tonsils with her tongue. Letting out a little scream of irritation, Ukyo stomped over to the kissing couple and pulled them apart with a huff.

"Not fair, Shampoo! Not fair!" Shampoo blinked twice, and then to Ranma's surprise seemed suddenly ashamed.

"Oh! Sorry, Ukyo-jie. You get love time with Airen now, I go set up stove for breakfast." Standing up, the Amazon went to her own pack and then pulled out a sleeveless blouse with a floral design along with a pair of matching pants. Pulling on the clothes, she then went over to Ukyo's pack and began assembling the chef's portable stove top and miniature gas range. Ranma watched Shampoo in confusion for a few moments before a tapping on his shoulder caused him to turn to Ukyo. The chef gave Ranma a smirk that made him both nervous and strangely excited.

"You heard Shanchan. It's my turn for a little love time!"

A dazed and slightly confused Ranma could only stare as Ukyo pounced.

~0~0~0~

[Tendo Household, 9AM]

Kasumi Tendo could not help a worried frown from crossing her brow as she finished clearing the breakfast table. Ranma's notable absence concerned her, although at present it seemed as if she was the only one in the house who was. When she had brought up the topic, both Soun and Genma had dismissed it as inconsequential. Soun thought that Ranma was probably taking his time in returning, perhaps due to looking for an apology present for his *baby girl*. Genma agreed with Soun, and had used Ranma's absence as an opportunity to eat his son's usual share of the breakfast meal. Nabiki had simply shrugged in her usual uncaring manner, while Akane had muttered angrily about womanizing perverts off doing perverted things.

Remembering her youngest sister's reaction caused Kasumi's frown to deepen. Last night, she had accidentally taken Ranma's clothes from the bathroom thinking they were dirty. She had realized her mistake when she noticed that the clothes did not smell like sweat, and had gone to return them. She had gotten to the bathroom just in time to see Ranma get sent to lower Earth orbit by her sister's mallet. She had gently scolded her sister for her violent outburst, but Akane had brushed it off with her usual spiel of Ranma deserving it.

Akane's abuse and seeming disregard for her fiancé's health and well-being seemed to be turning more and more into the norm as the days passed. What had originally been a relationship dynamic based on friction with hinted mutual attraction underneath had degenerated into paranoia and mistrust on one side and resignation and resentment on the other. With each passing day, Kasumi had become more and more convinced that despite what their fathers would like to think, Ranma and Akane were in all probability never going to become a happily-married couple.

It did not exactly help matters that the other fiancée camps had finally realized what they were doing wrong and were currently working to rectify it. With both Shampoo and Ukyo working to provide a peaceful safe haven from Akane's increasingly violent attacks, it seemed only a matter of time before Ranma decided that the pain just wasn't worth it and left the dojo entirely to be with either one or both of his other fiancées. And losing Ranma's presence, one of the few around her who actively showed his appreciation for everything she did, was something that Kasumi wasn't sure she would like. Deciding that something more active was needed, Kasumi decided to visit Nabiki's room to enlist her sister's somewhat mercenary abilities. After all, although it was likely that Ranma was simply taking his time in returning to the Tendo Dojo, it was just as likely that he had somehow injured himself and might be in need of some medical attention. Borrowing that silly Dr. Tofu's books had given her sufficient knowledge in treating basic injuries, and Ranma had been her patient more than once.

As she moved up the stairs, Kasumi tried to ignore the pleasant tingle in her spine at the memory of Ranma's well-muscled body as well as the traitorous whispers in the back of her head urging her to talk to her father regarding _alternate_ options in fulfilling the Tendo-Saotome arrangement.

~0~0~0~

[Back to the forest clearing on the outskirts of Nerima, 10AM]

Ranma finished the last of his okonomiyaki/ramen breakfast combo while mulling over everything the girls had told him. Although he had mostly recovered from the crash-induced concussion, he was somewhat unsure as to whether the events the night before had been real or the products of a very weird dream. He had mentioned this, and the girls had filled him in. For the duration of the meal, he had stayed quiet – an unusual accomplishment in itself – while Shampoo and Ukyo had taken the time to clarify the events that had occurred the previous night. When the girls had finished speaking, Ranma stayed quiet, thinking things over in his head. The girls, both fully clothed now, waited patiently while cleaning up the cooking utensils used. Finally, he spoke up.

"So lemme get this straight. You gals were sparring, I crash-landed naked, we three started getting, err, intimate, Shanchan did something that was supposed to make me feel good but felt like someone poured molten metal on my nuts, and then Ucchan found some kinda block on my tenketsu points, probably put there by my old man, and they're messing with my ability to errr.. uhhh…" Seeing that he was somewhat tongue-tied, Ukyo spoke up.

"Feel sexual pleasure, yeah. And the problem is, Ranchan, I don't know how to fix it. Everything in my family scrolls say that injecting foreign chakra into an already-blocked tenketsu point will result in either increasing the block, or destroying the tenketsu entirely." Ranma frowned.

"Hm. So it's either get the counter technique from my old man, or unblock the tenketsu myself. Knowing my old man, I wouldn't be surprised if this technique was supposed to keep me chaste until I got married to Akane or something." Both Amazon and chef were hard-pressed to keep from smiling when they noticed that Ranma seemed to view that possibility with extreme distaste. A particularly horrible thought occurred to Shampoo, and she could not help herself from saying it.

"Aiyah! What if stupid panda not now counter-technique? Shampoo think stupid panda not know what he really do, maybe he just use technique on Airen without knowing all details, like Cat-fist!" At that thought, Ranma could not help but shiver.

"I wouldn't put it past my stupid old man to do something that idiotic. Brr. Well, there's nothing else for it, then. I'm gonna have to open my tenketsu on my own." He turned to his fiancées. "You gals got any idea on how to do that?"

Shampoo shook her head in the negative, but Ukyo seemed to be considering something.

"Maybe my family scrolls on chakra and the tenketsu would have something. Let me check them for a moment." She got up, went over to her pack, and began searching through it.

Ranma and Shampoo shared a look, and then the two stood up as well and began to do some warming up in preclusion for a morning spar. After some light stretching, the two moved over to the middle of the clearing and bowed to one another. Ranma settled into one of his open stances. Shampoo gave Ranma a quizzical look, which Ranma returned with a cocky smirk and a nod. With a slight shrug and a flick of her wrist, one of Shampoo's trademark Chinese broadswords appeared in her hand. They stared at each other for a moment, before Shampoo lunged forward with a yell and a vertical chop.

As Ranma began to avoid Shampoo's earnest efforts to slice him to ribbons, Ukyo began looking through the "Kuonji Hijutsu #5" scroll once more. Aside from the tenketsu chart, there was also some information there on chakra which she hoped could shed some light on the topic of blocked tenketsu.

"_Regarding the blocking of tenketsu, only those shinobi with the special bloodline can successfully block and unblock the body's chakra points. To attempt to manipulate the tenketsu in any way while not bearing the special bloodline will only result in disaster and probable death for the practitioner._ Damn it, I don't want Ranchan to die…" She unrolled part of the scroll more, and noticed some handwriting which was somewhat similar to her own scribbled in the margin.

"_Despite what this scroll says, it is possible to unblock one's own tenketsu without killing yourself. The idea is to attempt an internal approach, not external. Forcing enough chakra through the tenketsu can remove the blockage. Be warned, the process is extremely painful, especially for those unfamiliar with the use of chakra._ Hmm… Could it be…?" She glanced at her fiancé, who was currently engaged in a seemingly deadly dance with Shampoo and using his superior reflexes to dodge and slap aside the girl's attacks with the broadsword.

Ukyo waited for the action to die down a little, and then whistled. The two martial artists halted their spar and went over to her, neither even slightly winded. Ranma smiled at Ukyo.

"Whatcha got, Ucchan?"

"Well, according to my family scroll, you're gonna have to force chakra through the blockage and basically force it open. The scroll says it hurts like hell, but it's the only way to do it." Ranma nodded and got into a basic Horse stance, before taking a deep breath and then slowly exhaling. As he exhaled, he began to gather energy-

"HAAAAA-Oi!"

- only to stop in his tracks when Ukyo stood up and lightly whacked him on the shoulder.

"Idiot. You don't even know how to gather chakra! Stop for a moment and watch me, okay?" Ukyo stood up from where she had been sitting and reading the scroll. She got into a basic Horse stance and then formed a hand seal by curling the fingers of her left hand into a fist with her thumb sticking up above her first finger, with the last two fingers of her right hand bent over the last two fingers of her left and her right middle and pointer fingers sticking straight up and her pointer leaning against her left thumb. A quick glance showed that not only Ranma, but Shampoo as well was watching her intently. Closing her eyes, Ukyo took a deep breath, and then focused. After a moment, Ranma was shocked when a light blue haze, like the flame of a gas stove, settled in an aura around Ukyo.

Ukyo held the aura for a minute, and then with a slow exhalation of breath let the aura fade. She opened her eyes to see her fiancé staring at her in slight awe. Ranma shook his head slightly to refocus, and then his expression took on one of consideration. After a moment, he asked Ukyo a question.

"Hey, Ucchan? Can you focus chakra into a fist and then hit me with it? It seems sorta familiar, but I need to feel it to be sure." Ukyo considered his request for a moment, before grinning. She focused for a moment, before stepping closer to Ranma. She then threw Shampoo a wink, before cupping Ranma's cheek and kissing him deeply. Ranma quickly got over his shock when he realized that Ukyo was channeling her chakra through her tongue and essentially feeding him her chakra and giving the pig-tailed martial artist a taste of her innermost being. When they finally separated with a soft 'pop', Ranma found himself licking his lips. Ukyo flashed him a brilliant smile.

"How's about that, honey? Didja get what ya needed?" Ranma nodded and, after casting a sidelong glance to a trying-hard-to-look-nonchalant Shampoo, decided to test out a suspicion that had been growing in the back of his mind for the past month and a half.

"Yeah, Ucchan, I think I got it. You taste delicious, by the way, kinda like a Ranchan special Okonomiyaki with extra sauce…" Seeing the Osaka girl turn a deep-red, he added casually, "Ya wouldn't mind teaching Shanchan how to do that, wouldja?"

"Sure, no problem." The okonomiyaki chef answered a bit distractedly. She added in a slight undertone. "Shanchan tastes nice, anyway." Seemingly realizing what she just said, she quickly glanced up to see Shampoo with an expression halfway between shock and joy, while Ranma was looking at the both of them with the look of someone who just finished solving a puzzle. Ukyo tried to quickly redact her statement.

"Err, that is, I mean, you see Ranchan, err…" She was cut off from her babbling when Shampoo gave a loud sigh. Placing one hand on Ukyo's shoulder, the Amazon gave Ranma a wry smile.

"Shush, Ukyo-jie. I think Airen has already figured it out." She stepped closer and wrapped one arm around Ukyo's waist. "Airen… we talk. Get tired of always fighting over you. Decide it better if we just share. So I…" But to both the girls' surprise, Ranma cut her off by moving closer and wrapping both of his arms around the two girls.

"You talked to the old ghoul to get Ucchan adopted into the Amazon tribe so that you could both share me as sister-wives? Yeah. I know. Cologne told me over a week ago. I've sorta been waiting for you girls to tell me." Ukyo stared at Ranma in disbelief. Shampoo asked him, hesitation and hope clear in her voice.

"A-and what do you think about it, Airen?" Ranma gave a momentary pause, as if considering it, before smiling and giving first Shampoo, and then Ukyo a peck on the lips and then unwrapping his arms from around the two girls.

"I think… that you girls better stand back for a moment, okay?" Ranma eased into the Horse stance again, formed the hand seal that Ukyo had done, and then inhaled deeply. He focused for a moment, seemingly gathering himself, before exhaling strongly. For a second, it seemed as if nothing had happened, until Ranma's face suddenly contorted in pain. Instead of stopping, he gritted his teeth, inhaled again, and then let out another explosive exhalation.

"HAH!"

A sudden wind sprang up from out of nowhere, seemingly centering on the pig-tailed martial artist who continued to inhale and exhale while keeping his hands in the ram seal. Ukyo and Shampoo gulped and looked at one another worriedly.

Inhale. Exhale. "HAH!"

A blue shimmer, stronger than the haze that formed around Ukyo when she focused her chakra, materialized around Ranma.

Inhale. Exhale. "HAH!"

The miniature tornado began to pick up speed, starting to form into something not dissimilar to Ranma's Hiryu Shoten Ha (Flying Dragon Ascending Blast). Ukyo and Shampoo dug their heels into the ground as they felt the strong winds buffet their bodies.

Inhale.

Exhale.

"TENKETSU, KAI! (Chakra Point, Release!)"

There was a brief pause, and then Ranma seemingly exploded while a shimmering blue energy wave radiated outward and knocked the girls off their feet. They quickly got up, expecting to have to give Ranma some first aid. Instead what they saw left them both stupefied.

"WHOOO-HOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I feel AWESOME!"

Ranma was standing with his arms outstretched and seemingly unharmed. He bent his knees twice, before springing straight up in a jump that Ukyo estimated to be about 30 to 40 feet. He flipped around 8 times before landing lightly on the balls of his feet. He then began capering around the clearing.

Both girls felt their jaws hit the ground.

"Oh man. Oh wow. I feel crazy-awesome. Like, I feel as if I could take down Taro with both hands tied behind my back!" Ranma leapt over to both of the girls, hugged each of them under one arm, and then spun them around twice before putting them back down and continuing his capering. The girls' shock increased when they realized something at the same time.

_Did Airen/Ranchan just pinch my ass?_

The girls shook themselves out of their stupor, before turning and smiling at each other. They were just about to join Ranma in celebrating when a slow clap echoed around the clearing. Looking at the sound, all three of them got serious, and the girls began reaching for their weapons when they saw Happosai standing near the entrance to the clearing and clapping.

"Well done, well done, Ranma my boy. Such a fine Heir, you make this old man truly proud!" Although still feeling energized, Ranma was nevertheless wary of the cunning old coot.

"Whaddaya want ya old freak? If yer lookin' for a poundin', you found it!" Happosai, however, simply shook his head.

"No, no, I'm not looking to fight, m'boy. I felt that energy wave you unleashed when you finally unlocked your tenketsu, and I naturally came to verify. Congratulations on passing this first test, Ranma!" Confusion was evident on the pig-tailed martial artist's face at the old lecher's remark.

"Huh? What test? Didja know that my tenketsu was blocked all along, ya freak?" Happosai nodded, but held up a hand to quickly forestall any rebuttal from Ranma.

"Indeed I knew, but only after my arrival here. I had wondered, you see, on why you seemed to react the way you did whenever one of your fiancées, particularly the Amazon, threw themselves at you. I managed to corner Genma and squeeze the truth out of him. He had used the Way of the Celibate Monk on you as a means of forcing you to fulfill the Tendo-Saotome agreement. I checked later on, of course, and determined that I would use this as a test to determine your worthiness as my heir. And you have truly passed beyond all my expectations!"

Despite himself, Ranma could not help but preen. A hedonistic perverted thief Happosai might have been, but he was also THE Grandmaster of Anything Goes, and recognition from him was high praise indeed.

"Yeah, I know, I'm awesome. So what about it?" Happosai chuckled, and then clapped his hands together decisively.

"As you have finally unblocked yourself, I now deem you worthy to officially be considered the true Heir to Anything Goes Martial Arts." Seeing the teens' confused expressions, Happosai decided to explain.

"Before, you were Heir in name only, as you were the only SERIOUS practitioner of the Art." This comment drew smirks from the three martial artists. Happosai's voice grew serious, and Ranma was surprised to see the old lech give a small, real smile. "But now that you have overcome this final barrier, I now declare you my true Heir, and ready to begin in the Advanced levels of Anything Goes. You will learn secrets that not even Genma and Soun know, techniques which I have collected, created, and perfected over the course of a lifetime."

Happosai reached into his purple gi and pulled out three sealed scrolls, each with a different color. He handed them to Ranma, who accepted the gifts warily.

"Within the red scroll is the first and most fundamental technique of advanced Anything Goes. Once you have mastered it, use the knowledge to unseal the blue scroll to learn the next level. Once you have mastered that, unseal the gold scroll for the final level. And when you have mastered that," Happosai gave Ranma a smirk, "then seek me out and challenge me for the title of Grandmaster of Anything Goes Martial Arts."

Ranma gulped, and then nodded. He formed a fist with his right hand, clasped it with his left, and then bowed to Happosai.

"Thank you, Old Fr- err, I mean, Master Happosai. I shall do you and our school proud." Happosai smiled.

"I know you will, m'boy. Although, if you really wanted to make me proud," and here Happosai's voice took on a lecherous tinge, "all you have to do is let me have some time with these girls! SWEETO!"

Happosai leapt up towards Ukyo's chest, but Ranma blurred and with an almighty uppercut Happosai was sent sailing upwards to vanish into a twinkle in the atmosphere.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY GIRLS, YA FREAK!" Ranma turned with a huff. "Honestly, and just when I was beginning to have some respect for him too." He blinked. Both Shampoo and Ukyo were staring dreamily at him with stars in their eyes. He mentally reviewed what he said. "Oh…"

"His girls… Didja hear that, Shanchan?"

"Aiyah, Airen too too romantic!"

Ranma let out an "Oomph!" as the two girls jumped him again.

Author's Note: Thus ends Chapter One as the real story finally gets underway. Same as before, please wait one to two weeks for delivery of the next chapter, and as always, reviews, comments, and constructive criticisms are always welcome. The Dreaming Immortal sleeps on.


	3. Chapter 2: Of Stolen Hearts

Disclaimer: None of the characters depicted in this story are of my own creation. They are all the property of their respective owners.

SAOTOME RANMA AND THE WARRIOR'S HEART

~o~0~o~

CHAPTER TWO: OF STOLEN HEARTS

[Tendo Dojo, Sunday, 4PM]

"So you really haven't seen him? That's troublesome. Oh well, thank you for your help, Tomoyo-kun."

Nabiki Tendo gave a small grunt of irritation as she placed down the telephone receiver. On request from her older sister, the middle Tendo daughter had activated her information network with the aim of finding their youngest sister's errant fiancé. To her surprise, none of her contacts had managed to find the young martial artist until now. The most that she had managed to discover was that the other two fiancées had left on a weekend training trip, eliminating the possibility that Ranma had gone to temporarily live at either the Nekohanten or the Ucchan's. Nabiki was also rather certain, from a quick phone call to the Kuno mansion, that Ranma had not been abducted by either Tatewaki or Kodachi. None of her lookouts had seen hide nor hair of him at the other usual hangouts around Nerima. Nabiki had even gone so far as to call Ranma's mother Nodoka Saotome, who had moved to an adjacent district, if he had been by. But the Saotome matriarch had answered in the negative. Thus Nabiki was left with the very unpleasant task of having to inform the other members of the household that Ranma Saotome had for all intents and purposes, pretty much disappeared.

Going over to the kitchen, Nabiki saw that Kasumi had started early in preparing the evening meal. Instead of going in directly, Nabiki stopped at the entrance to the kitchen and simply watched her sister at work chopping up vegetables. Although her back was turned the eldest Tendo daughter seemed to sense that someone was watching her, for a moment later she turned around and gave Nabiki a smile.

"Oh, hello Nabiki. Would you like some tea before dinner?" She moved over to a kettle being kept warm over the stove, while Nabiki took two cups from a nearby shelf. Kasumi poured out some tea for the both of them, and then they both sat down at the table and sipped at their tea. After a moment's silence, Nabiki spoke up.

"I couldn't find Ranma-kun, sis. None of my informants have seen him around town. Both Shampoo and Ukyo have been on a training trip since Friday, so he isn't at either the Nekohanten or the Ucchan's. He isn't at the Kuno's, and Mrs. Saotome hasn't seen him as well. It's like he's disappeared." At her sister's news, Kasumi frowned.

"Oh dear. That's very worrying, Nabiki. Do you suppose we should inform the authorities and have them look for him? Maybe he's hurt somewhere." Nabiki shook her head.

"I don't think we need to bring in the police just yet. Tomorrow's a school day. If Ranma-kun isn't home by then, I'll file a missing persons report to the local police. I don't think that's necessary, though. Knowing Ranma-kun's luck, he's probably gotten involved in some kind of crazy misadventure or another. Maybe he ended up pissing off another practitioner of some obscure martial art or something." Despite her worry, Kasumi couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"Oh, that does sound like something that could happen to Ranma-kun, doesn't it? Still, I do hope he makes it back okay." Nabiki nodded along with her sister, and then got a mischievous smile on her face.

"Yeah, and if he comes back wounded, you get to play doctor with your favourite patient again, right, sis?" With those words, Nabiki was treated to the rare sight of her elder sister turning a very deep shade of red. Kasumi put her hands over her cheeks in an attempt to cover up the omega-level blush as she began stammering.

"Oh. Oh dear. Oh my. You, uhm... you noticed that, Nabiki?" Nabiki's smile turned into a smirk.

"Of course. I am the observant one here, after all. Hard not to notice how your eyes sort of glaze over a little bit every time he takes off his shirt." Nabiki did not comment on the fact that sometimes, she had caught herself doing the same thing. She had once been his temporary fiancée, after all, and even though the entire thing had been a charade perpetrated for the benefit of her own pockets, the feeling of those well-muscled arms holding her was still something that occasionally haunted her dreams. From the atomic blush on Kasumi's face, though, it seemed that Nabiki was not the only one thinking naughty thoughts regarding their resident pig-tailed martial artist. The two sisters sat for a minute in silence until Kasumi managed to control her blush and continued speaking.

"But it's not just Ranma-kun's body, you know. He's become a lot better in all aspects ever since he arrived here almost two years ago. He's become more controlled, more mature, a lot more observant and a lot less dense. In fact..." Kasumi's normal smile gained a touch of something soft, wistful, and proud at the same time.

"I would say he's really becoming a real man among men." Nabiki closed her eyes and took a long sip of her tea as she processed her sister's statement.

"Gee, sis. The way you talk about Ranma-kun, you sound as if you're falling in love with... him..." Nabiki glanced at her sister. Kasumi was looking out towards the window and, although she was smiling, her brown eyes were filled with a strange mixture of longing and guilt. This time, it was Nabiki's turn to be surprised.

"Oh dear. You're serious? But what about Dr. Tofu?" At Nabiki's question, Kasumi looked confused.

"What about Dr. Tofu? He's a nice man, but I don't think about him that way. Besides, his wife would be extremely upset."

"Wait, wife? What wife?"

"Oh my. Didn't you know, Nabiki? That's why Dr. Tofu left Nerima for a few months last year. He got married to a girl his mother introduced to him. She works as the nurse in his clinic, that's why Mr. Saotome doesn't work there anymore."

"Really? I hadn't noticed that he'd stopped working. If I may ask, sis, when did you start falling for Ranma?" Kasumi gave a slight shrug.

"It's been slowly happening these past few months. Like you said, I've been his nurse for most of the times that he's needed someone to patch him up a bit due to some injury or other. Usually it's from our little sister, but sometimes that Kuno boy or Ryouga or Mousse gets a lucky hit." Kasumi looked down and gave a melancholy sigh. "You know, I once told Akane not to hesitate to hit Ranma-kun if he did something improper. But now whenever I see her smash him with that mallet over the littlest thing..." Nabiki thought it over and agreed.

"I have noticed that she's been getting more and more violent with him lately. Seems like Ranma-kun can't do anything right nowadays with how often he gets sent into LEO. I'd even be willing to bet money that he's gonna get fed up and go with one of the other girls who don't hit him so often. Hey, there's an idea." Nabiki was smirking again. "Why not ask Daddy to move the engagement from Akane to you? I mean, if you like him that much."

Kasumi's blush, which she had just managed to get under control, returned with a vengeance. Looking for something to do to distract herself, she stood up and took both her and Nabiki's empty cups and placed them in the sink, before turning back to the kitchen countertop and resuming her preparation of the evening meal. With her back turned to Nabiki, she took a deep breath before answering.

"I couldn't do that, Nabiki. Not to Akane. Despite how she's been acting the past few months, I still believe she holds some form of affection for him. It wouldn't be fair to her. And I wouldn't do it to Ranma-kun, either. I think he still does like Akane in one way or another. Besides, Ranma-kun probably sees me as just an older sister, and he already has lots of other, more beautiful girls competing for his affections." Unseen by her sister, she bit her lip to quell her rising melancholy and quickly began slicing an onion to provide an alibi for her rapidly-brimming eyes.

"He wouldn't want some quiet homemaker like me, he'd be too bored. And since the marriage is supposed to unite the two schools of Anything Goes, I'm not eligible since I stopped practicing the Art a long time ago."

Nabiki frowned at the poorly-hidden sadness in Kasumi's tone. Although she did not always show it, she was very appreciative of how her older sister had taken care of their family after their mother died and believed that Kasumi deserved to be happy after everything she had sacrificed for their family. With this in mind, she made a decision to subtly nudge her older sister and Ranma together. She made a "hmm" sound in the back of her throat, and then stood up to go to her room and plot it out. Before exiting the kitchen, she decided to leave her older sister with one last piece of advice.

"Well, you've really thought out all the reasons why you shouldn't. But... I think you should still talk to him first, sis. Find out if that's what he really thinks. For all you know, he might be pining after you the same way you're pining after him." With that, Nabiki sauntered out of the kitchen, leaving Kasumi to her thoughts.

~o~0~o~

[A forest clearing on the outskirts of Nerima, same day, same time]

As he helped Ukyo pack up their belongings and stamp out the cooking fires, Ranma Saotome thought back to the changes that had occurred during the past two days.

Yesterday, after the girls had finished kissing him senseless, Ranma had retreated to a separate part of the clearing to study the Red Scroll while his fiancées resumed their unfinished spar. It had taken him close to fifteen minutes to figure out how to open it (channel some chakra into the strip of paper holding it closed), and then he had unrolled it to find that the contents were nowhere near what he had expected. Knowing the old freak, he had half-expected it to be either a perverted manifesto of some sort, or a list of awesome techniques. Instead, it was a clear and descriptive text with information on the nature of chakra and what one could achieve upon mastering it. There were several instructions on chakra control exercises, using emotions and visualization to change one's chakra "element", and how to channel chakra to separate body parts in order to "perform feats of a superhuman nature". However, there were no techniques listed. Rather, at the end was a reminder that the information, exercises, and lessons on the scroll were tools to help the martial artist create their own technique – as typical of the Anything Goes philosophy. At the very bottom of the scroll was a cryptic line.

"_Red is the mastery of the body. Blue is the mastery of the spirit. Gold is the mastery of the soul."_

Now, despite what his detractors and teachers would say, Ranma was in fact a very intelligent young man – particularly in matters concerning the Art. Therefore, he was able to rather quickly determine that the last line pertained to the necessary skills he would need to unlock the other two scrolls. Deciding that he would need to first master the exercises and create his own chakra techniques, Ranma had begun working on first becoming accustomed to calling up his chakra. By Saturday evening, he had become quite adept at it, something which frustrated Ukyo as he managed to accomplish in one afternoon what she had been training to do for the better part of half a decade. Ukyo consoled herself with the fact that the most likely reason for his being able to call up his chakra so quickly was because he had so much of it. Judging by the sheer brightness of his aura, the chef had concluded that Ranma had a very large pool of chakra, possibly greater than hers and Shampoo's combined.

Speaking of the Chinese Amazon, she had adamantly begged that Ukyo teach her how to channel chakra as well. The chef had obliged by showing her the hand seal and stance, as well as the visualization needed, but after two hours of standing there with a constipated look on her face Shampoo had gotten frustrated and beseeched Ukyo to do what she had done with Ranma so that the Amazon could get a feel of the "flavour" of the energy. Bright red and extremely embarrassed, Ukyo had resisted vehemently until the Amazon unleashed her "Ultimate Amazon Technique: Super Cutey Stare!" The maddeningly adorable pout had destroyed her defenses, and she had hesitantly channelled chakra to her lips and then kissed the Amazon on the lips.

At which point Ranma's nose had erupted in a nosebleed so powerful he had flown backwards into a tree and knocked himself out.

When he had awoken, Shampoo had been straddling him and Ukyo had been leaning over him, identical looks of worry on their faces. As he had stared at his beautiful fiancées, one of them vigorously (although unintentionally) grinding herself against his crotch, Ranma had finally experienced the consequences of having removed the Way of the Celibate Monk for the first time. Shampoo had given a slight yelp, before smirking mischievously and then deliberately grinding herself against him. Needless to say Ukyo had not taken that well, and what followed were two very pleasurable hours as Ranma sated his newly discovered hormones with two very willing girls. They had not had sex, but all three of them were shirtless and panting heavily by the time they stopped.

They had all cooled down by doing individual katas. Ukyo had cooked dinner, and then they had washed up in a nearby stream before the three of them did a repeat of Friday night's sleeping arrangements. Sunday morning had been filled with spars, katas, and playful kisses from his fiancées. It had wound down after lunch, as Ranma traded ideas with Shampoo and Ukyo on the first training exercise on the scroll which involved channelling chakra to various body parts. Ukyo revealed that channelling chakra to limbs allowed one to hit harder, move faster, and take more damage, but it came with the drawback of making the fighter much more tired. Unlike ki or body energy, chakra also required the use of mental energy or mana, doubling both the strength gained and the energy lost. Ukyo had also revealed information which the Red scroll had lacked – a fighter with more intelligence, knowledge, and experience would be able to harness the mental energy more efficiently and not be as tired.

This was something that had Ranma pondering. He knew he was not lacking in life experience – his lifelong training journey had given him enough experience for several lifetimes – but he would be the first to admit that schoolwork and book knowledge was not his forte. If what Ukyo was saying was true, then he needed to work on his mind as well as his body in order to better control the new ability that he now had at his disposal.

Ranma snapped out of his reminiscing as he and Ukyo finished packing their things. All the clothes they had used would be taken with them to be cleaned, while the other items would be left in a hiding spot in the clearing for future use. As they got ready to leave, Ranma gave a small sigh that the girls quickly noted. Ukyo touched his arm.

"Is something wrong, Ranchan?" Ranma shrugged and gave his fiancées a somewhat sad smile.

"These last couple of days have been some of the most fun I've had in the past months. It just kinda sucks that I'm gonna have to go back to the dojo and deal with that uncute gorilla again." Shampoo frowned and latched on to Ranma's other arm.

"Airen, you don't like the Dojo? Why not just leave? Stay with Shampoo or Ukyo-jie." Ranma shook his head, and then gave a smirk as he wrapped an arm around each of his fiancées' waists and drew them both closer to him.

"I'd love to, but I can't go to the Café or to the Ucchan's knowing that one of ya will be lonely. If we're going with that crazy sister-wife idea, then I'm gonna be damn sure that neither of ya girls feel left out or neglected. So until I can figure out a way for all three of us to live under one roof, I'm gonna be staying at the Tendo Dojo for the time being. Besides, I can't just up and leave without saying anything to Kasumi-chan. I don't give a damn about the others, they've never done me any favors, but Kasumi-chan's been great about taking care of me. She even patches me up sometimes when Ryouga or Mousse gets a little too rough. Heck, she acts more like a fiancée than Akane ever did."

The two girls had gone starry-eyed again at Ranma's mention of all three of them living together, but his last comment seemed to twinge something with Ukyo.

"Really, Ranchan? Maybe you should ask her to be your fiancée instead of Akane." Ranma stopped walking and stared at Ukyo incredulously.

"Didja seriously just say that? Here I thought ya didn't want to share me with anybody. I mean, it musta been like pulling teeth for Shampoo to get ya to agree with the whole sister-wife thing." Before Ukyo could say anything, Shampoo spoke up.

"Actually, Airen… Ukyo-jie had idea of sharing you first. She just ask me if it possible under Amazon law. I say yes, if she also Amazon, she start fighting me to ask Great-Grandmother to make her Amazon." Ranma's surprised stare widened as Ukyo turned bright red and started spluttering.

"W-Well… I got tired of all the fighting, is all… An-And I c-can't afford the fines that the city council keeps charging, and.. errr..." Ukyo stopped stammering as Ranma placed one finger on her lips. The pig-tailed boy threw Shampoo a glance then gave Ukyo a deep kiss. Just as she was getting into it, Ranma broke away and Shampoo dove in. Ukyo gave a slight moan, and placed one arm around Shampoo's shoulders to pull her closer while keeping the other one around Ranma's waist. Shampoo tugged on her arm that was wrapped around Ranma as well. That was the only signal the martial artist needed to dive back in and share a three-way kiss with his fiancées.

After a few minutes, Ranma broke the kiss and licked his lips. As the two girls separated, he tightened his arms around their waists and started walking, the two girls following along. He continued talking as they walked.

"As I was saying, Kasumi-chan has been absolutely awesome for the entire time that I've been with the Tendos. She's never bullied, yelled, extorted, hurt, or even said an unkind word to me. Then again, Kasumi's like that about everybody. Heck, if I had gotten the chance to pick my Tendo fiancée in the first place, she would've been it." Ukyo looked confused at this particular nugget of information.

"You mean you didn't pick Akane? I always thought you did, or at least that you actually liked her since you always rescued her and all. Kinda made me a bit guilty with trying to break you up. Just a bit though." Ranma shook his head.

"Nah. She was friendly with me until she found out that I was really a guy. Then Mr. Tendo told me their names and ages and asked me to pick one to be my fiancée. Before I could answer, Kasumi an' Nabiki pushed Akane to me, she called me a pervert and a freak, I got pissed off and called her an uncute gorilla, and she smashed me over the head with their table. I admit, at first I sorta liked her, that's why I always rescued her an' stuff, but with how violent and accusing she's gotten, any feelings I might've had for her have died fast. Ain't like she's been grateful for all the times I've rescued her anyway." Shampoo was shaking her head.

"Violent Kitchen Destroyer always accuse Airen of things he not do... Well, things he not do back then. Shampoo think if Akane accuse Ranma of being womanizing pervert when Airen get home, she be right this time." She giggled and batted her eyes at Ranma. Ukyo giggled as well. Ranma rolled his eyes then smirked and moved his hands. The girls' giggles turned into "Eeps!" as he copped a feel from both of them.

"I blame you girls for corrupting me." He was about to remove his hands, but growls from the two made him rethink it. "See, who're the perverts in this relationship? Anyway, most of the times when I've rescued her, it's cause she needed rescuin'. You two, you're tough. Strong. You can take care of yourselves, an' I like that. But Akane can't. Stupid girl keeps saying she's a martial artist too. But she ain't. She's weak. And much as I don't like her personality, it's a martial artist's duty to protect the weak. Even if they ain't grateful for the protectin'."

The girls kept quiet, letting Ranma continue speaking. It was amazing just how open he was now that the blocks had been removed. Shampoo suspected that the tenketsus had blocked not just his libido, but his emotional development as well. She resolved to beat the stuffing out of Genma when she next saw him.

Ukyo on the other hand was remembering Ranma from when they first met and became best friends. Back then, Ranma had been like this, open and trusting and willing to talk with her about everything. It was one of the things she'd loved about him and it had deeply saddened her when she met him again and sensed this wall that he seemed to have built around him. Now that wall was gone and she had her Ranchan back.

Ranma, noticing the girls get quiet and thinking he had said something wrong, quickly went into damage control and shifted the topic of conversation. "But just coz it's Akane that I rescue most of the time, that don't mean I won't drop everything to save you two if you got in any trouble." He gave the two girls a soft smile that they returned. "Especially after all this. I owe ya girls big. And I aim to start making it up to ya." His tone turned contemplative and slightly mischievous. "'Sides, any villain who can manage to overpower you two and take you away has ta be, like, crazy-strong. Not that I won't be able to beat 'em though."

Ukyo and Shampoo shook their heads and giggled at their fiancé's confidence. Ukyo noted that they were nearly out of the forest and approaching Nerima. Reluctantly, she slowly tried to ease herself out of Ranma's grip, only to feel him pull her and Shampoo closer, his hands moving from around their waists to across their shoulders. She turned questioning eyes at him.

"Ranchan?"

"Don't worry Ucchan. It's okay if everybody sees us together. 'Specially since I'm gonna pass out in a bit and you're gonna need to bring me to the Dojo. Chakra exhaustion, I think."

Before she could ask what he meant, Ranma's eyes fluttered and he lost consciousness. At the same time, there was a great creaking noise behind them, and the girls turned in time to see a line of massive boulders, six in all, move to a stop. The boulders were attached to one another by a rope that was tied around Ranma's waist, and the martial artist had been channelling chakra to his feet and legs to drag them all along. Ukyo shook her head while untying the rope from Ranma's waist.

"Idiot. I told him this was a stupid idea. It's a lot harder to channel chakra than it is to channel ki. It must've burned through his reserves fast." Shampoo tsked.

"That's our Airen, Ukyo-jie. He never know when to stop. Is why he's the best." She smiled softly and kissed Ranma's cheek. Ukyo fixed her grip on Ranma's arm that was slung around her shoulder, and kissed Ranma's cheek as well.

"Yeah. We got the cover story right? He ran into some kinda trouble, we found him passed out just now, and we're bringing him back to the Dojo." Shampoo nodded her agreement, and the two girls set off for the Tendo Dojo, their unconscious fiancée hanging between them.

~o~0~o~

[Kuno Mansion, same day, same time]

Sasuke gulped nervously as he knocked on his master's bedroom door. The ninja retainer was carrying a package wrapped in brown paper and marked Special Delivery – Express. He knew that Master Tatewaki had been waiting for this package for some time, though what it was Sasuke had no idea. In a strange deviation from the norm, Kuno had elected to bypass Sasuke and conduct this particular piece of business on his own. He had only informed Sasuke that a package was about to arrive sometime soon, and that it was to be brought straight to him.

After waiting for some time, Sasuke elected to enter the room on his own. Inside, Kuno was by his desk, seemingly studiously poring over a very large and dusty tome – yet another purchase that he had acquired without Sasuke's input or knowledge. Sasuke cleared his throat, causing Kuno to turn to him with a scowl. Before he could be berated, the ninja presented the package.

"Master Kuno? Your package has arrived."

"AT LAST!" Standing up so fast that the chair he was sitting on toppled over, Kuno eagerly snatched the package from Sasuke, before unceremoniously kicking him out of the door. Sasuke heard the sounds of locks and bolts snapping into place, before Kuno let out a laugh that was very much similar to Kodachi's at her finest. Sasuke shook his head. Master Kuno was definitely acting strange. Letting out another sigh, Sasuke went to make his rounds and to ensure that they had enough medical and construction supplies when Kuno's plan – whatever it was – inevitably backfired.

Tatewaki Kuno was hard-pressed to keep himself from bursting out in another maniacal laugh. He was beginning to see why his sister seemed to enjoy laughing that way so much, it was exceedingly gratifying. In his hands was the package that Sasuke had brought, which had cost a sizeable fortune to acquire from overseas and which held the key to bringing about that foul sorcerer Saotome's defeat. He carefully untied the string holding the package closed and then removed the brown paper to reveal a small hand mirror. It was oval in shape. The mirror's rim was made of an unidentifiable dark-green stone carved in the shape of a serpent swallowing its own tail. Two fins on either side of the rim served as handles. The mirror itself was made of polished black obsidian.

Taking great care not to look directly into the mirror, Kuno placed it face-down upon his table. Drawing a magnifying glass from his desk drawer, he turned on his desk lamp and began to scrutinize the back of the mirror for the proof to verify the mirror's authenticity. It did not take him long to find it. Inscribed in the middle portion of the mirror's back was a series of runes. Comparing them to the description written in the book, Kuno saw that they were exactly alike.

"Excellent. This is truly the fabled Mirror of the Jade Wyrm, as described in the Book of the Serpent. Though I am loath to lower myself to the dark sorcerer Saotome's level, 'tis true what mine fair redheaded goddess hath told me – to defeat Saotome, I must needs meet him on his own grounds! I shall use this ancient artefact to reveal to the entirety of Furinkan Saotome's true form! Surely then, the beautiful tigress Akane Tendo will spurn Saotome when his wretched and twisted visage is revealed! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

~o~0~o~

[Entrance to the Tendo Dojo, 5PM]

Shampoo and Ukyo stopped walking as their fiancée suddenly shivered violently while remaining unconscious. They waited a while, but it did not happen again. The two then began to consider how to announce their presence to the people inside, when Kasumi exiting out the front door made that point moot.

"Oh my! Ranma-kun!" What had been a tiny suspicion in the back of the two girls' minds blossomed into confirmation when they saw Kasumi drop the basket she was holding and immediately rush forward towards them. Upon reaching them, she immediately checked his pulse. After letting out a relieved sigh at its strength, she turned to the two fiancées with an unusual amount of steel behind her usually placid grey eyes while a frightening aura reminiscent of Soun's Demon Head flickered into existence. It actually made the two girls take an involuntary step backward.

_WOAH. Kasumi's scary when she's pissed!_

_Aiyah! How does Too-Too Nice Girl know the Dragon Tamer's Stare?_

"Explain. Now." Kasumi's voice brooked no disobedience, and the two battle-hardened martial artists found themselves stuttering.

"W-We don't know what happened to him! We were coming back to Nerima from our weekend training trip when we found him lying down outside of town. We tried waking him up, but he just muttered something about Happosai and then passed out. We checked him over, but he didn't seem to be injured, just exhausted, so we decided to bring him here." Shampoo was nodding frantically as Ukyo babbled out their cover story.

"HAH. A likely story! He was probably gallivanting all weekend with you floozies!" Akane yelled accusingly, the other residents of the Tendo Dojo having come out when they sensed Kasumi's aura flare. "Stupid, perverted, two-timing jerk! I oughtta-" She was about to stomp over and mallet Ranma for good measure, but she was stopped by a most unlikely source.

"AKANE!" Everybody froze at the anger in Kasumi's tone. She was wearing a deep frown, and her aura had gotten stronger. "Go to your room. We will talk about your apparent willingness to maim unconscious and helpless people later."

Frozen at the look and anger that _Kasumi_ of all people had directed at her, the girl could do nothing but comply and walked woodenly back inside. When Kasumi's gaze moved to the other residents, Akane's exit was swiftly followed by the two fathers and Nabiki, although the latter did turn back with a worried glance for a moment. When they were all inside, Kasumi turned to Shampoo.

"Shampoo-san, could you please carry Ranma-kun to his room and guard him. I wish to speak to Ukyo-san for a moment, and I am afraid my sister might try to hurt Ranma-kun." Nodding her head, the Amazon hoisted the unconscious Ranma in a bridal carry and headed inside. Ukyo made a note to tease Ranma later about it, but she snapped to attention when Kasumi turned to her as soon as the door closed. Kasumi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, dispelling her battle aura in the process.

"Thank you for bringing him back here, Ukyo-san. I apologize for my little sister's words and behaviour." Ukyo gave a noncommittal shrug.

"It's no big deal. We were just doing what Ranchan would want." Kasumi nodded slightly, and then looked puzzled.

"But Ukyo-san, aren't you worried that Shampoo-san might do something inappropriate?" Ukyo barely managed to keep from smirking at the question.

_She won't be doing anything that the three of us haven't done already. Besides, Ranchan's a much more fun partner when he's awake and participative. _Out loud, she answered in the negative. "Nah. Shampoo and I realized that by fighting over Ranchan we've been driving him away, so we both decided to not be so aggressive. It's worked out great so far." Ukyo couldn't keep herself from smiling. "I finally have my best friend back, and I'm getting better at martial arts. Me and Shampoo have gotten to be pretty good friends as well."

Kasumi smiled. "That's good to hear. Ranma-kun needs friends. Well, thank you again, Ukyo-san. You may follow me inside so we can fetch Shampoo-san." As Kasumi turned to go inside the house, she was halted by the next words that came out of Ukyo's mouth.

"You're in love with him too, aren't you?" Kasumi froze in her tracks and quickly turned back to face Ukyo, denials already on her lips. She was stopped when she saw the look in Ukyo's eyes. The girl wasn't accusing, or even angry. Instead, Ukyo looked sympathetic. Before Kasumi could say anything, Ukyo held up a hand requesting silence and then continued talking.

"Ranchan... He hates coming back here. Here, all he gets is abuse, both physical and emotional. Here, he gets beaten, malleted, insulted, blackmailed, and force-fed poison on an almost daily basis. But no matter what Shampoo and I say, he doesn't want to just up and leave here. You know why?" Kasumi gave a tremulous nod.

"O-of course. It's because of Akane, isn't it?" Ukyo shook her head in the negative.

"Nope. It's because of you, Kasumi. He really appreciates how you've been taking care of him, so he doesn't want to just up and leave you with saying goodbye. In fact, he told us you've acted more like a fiancée to him than Akane's ever had. You cook for him, clean up after him, even administer first aid on him when he needs it. And believe me, he's grateful for all of your care. In fact," and here Ukyo leaned in closer and whispered into Kasumi's ear, "he's told us that if he had been allowed to pick his fiancée in the first place, he would've picked you."

Leaving Kasumi stupefied with the bombshell she just dropped on her, Ukyo put her hands to her mouth and let out a shrill and slightly odd-sounding whistle. The window to Ranma's room opened, and Shampoo peeked out. Seeing Ukyo waving at her, the Amazon waved back, disappeared back inside momentarily, and then somersaulted out the window. She landed neatly right beside Ukyo and then threw the still shell-shocked Kasumi a puzzled glance. Ukyo whispered what she had just said, causing Shampoo to smile. She moved closer to Kasumi and, imitating Ukyo's action from earlier, whispered in her ear.

"Everything Ukyo-jie said is true. Airen awake now, but still sleepy. You talk to him, yes? He's looking for you."

The last part wasn't exactly true, but it served its purpose of snapping Kasumi out of her momentary trance. Bidding the pair a hasty goodbye and thanking them again, Kasumi hurried into the house. The two girls watched her enter, before Ukyo turned to Shampoo.

"Ranchan's awake? That's not fair, you got a goodbye kiss and I didn't." Shampoo smiled mischievously.

"Is okay. Airen kiss me twice, say I pass one to you." Quick as lightning the Chinese Amazon darted close and pecked Ukyo on the lips before leaping away, giggling like mad. After a second, Ukyo let out a loud "HEY!" and leapt after Shampoo with a smile on her face.

A smile flitted across Ranma's lips as he heard his 'cute' fiancée's yell of consternation. He had in fact regained consciousness the moment that Kasumi's aura had flared, and thusly heard both Akane's attempt to mallet him and Kasumi's stern rebuke. He had pretended to be asleep while Shampoo was carrying him to the room he shared with his father. Once they were inside and Shampoo had laid him down on the futon on the floor, he had surprised her by suddenly opening his eyes and lunging forward to kiss her. She had been more than happy to comply with his wishes, and they had enjoyed sharing several soft kisses until Ukyo had whistled. Before Shampoo could leave, Ranma had kissed her twice and told her to give one to Ukyo – a request that she had apparently done so.

His musings were cut short when the door to his room opened and Kasumi stepped inside, locking the door behind her. Ranma noticed that the eldest Tendo daughter seemed slightly distracted and, for lack of a better word, frazzled. She noticed him looking at her, and a blush instantly sprang up into her cheeks. _Damn, Kasumi's cute._

"Uhm, Ranma-kun? Y-You're awake now? H-How do you feel?" Ranma felt his curiousity rise as he heard Kasumi stutter and suddenly began to wonder what exactly Ukyo and Kasumi talked about.

"I'm feeling fine now, Kasumi-chan, although still a bit tired." Kasumi nodded and then moved closer to the martial artist. She knelt down beside him, hands slightly fidgeting as she struggled to say something. Ranma watched her silently, waiting for her to talk. After a minute, Kasumi took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye.

"I just had a very interesting conversation with Ukyo-san, Ranma-kun. She told me that if you were allowed to pick your Tendo fiancée, you would pick me instead of Akane. Is it true?"

Ranma was flabbergasted. _Ucchan, what the hell..._ Out loud, he said, "Y-yeah. It's true."

"Why? Is it just because I cook and clean up after you?" Hearing the sadness in her voice, Ranma shook his head. He sat up to face her, taking her hands in his. Kasumi's blush intensified and she lowered her head, but she made no attempt to pull away.

"No, not just that. I mean, it's part of it, but it's mostly because you care. There were times in the past when it seemed like you were the only one who did. Before Ucchan and Shanchan cooled down, I had the feeling that they were starting to view me as nothing but a prize. Everybody else, they see me as either someone to make money off of or a punching bag. Since I got here, you've been the only constant source of calm and caring in my life. You've acted more like a fiancée to me than Akane ever has, especially these past few months. You wait up for me, clean my wounds, fix up after me... You've been an angel to me, Kasumi-chan, even though I've brought nothing but trouble for you guys ever since I got here. Anything that I can do for ya, whether it's just helping you with chores or stuff like that, it's nothing compared to what you've done and continue to do. I'd do anything for ya, Kasumi. Ya just gotta ask."

Ranma's earnest entreaty cut Kasumi to the core. She knew that her feelings for the young man, but had resigned herself to pushing it into the background in favour of the fact that she thought Ranma loved her little sister. But faced with what both Ukyo and Ranma himself had told her, she could no longer hold herself back. She looked up at Ranma and stared into his eyes. When she spoke, her tremulous voice was barely above a whisper.

"A-Anything, Ranma-kun? Then... Would you let me fix the mistake I made when you first came here?" Ranma looked confused for a moment.

"Mistake? What mistake, Kasumi?"

Instead of answering him, Kasumi leaned forward and kissed him. Ranma's eyes widened in shock, before closing as he began to kiss back. His hands moved to wrap around her waist, while she placed her hands on his shoulders. Kasumi broke the kiss, tears of joy brimming in her eyes. She moved even closer and grabbed Ranma in a hug which the martial artist was only too happy to return. They sat there in silence for a few moments, before Kasumi spoke up again.

"Ranma-kun?"

"Yeah, Kasumi-chan?"

"To fulfil the Tendo-Saotome agreement, and because I seem to be falling in love with you, would you do me the honor of becoming my fiancée?" Ranma gave the young woman a soft smile.

"As you wish."

~o~0~o~

[Nekohanten, 530PM]

Shampoo and Ukyo walked arm-in-arm into the Nekohanten, chatting quietly and giggling. The place was empty, with Shampoo's father wiping a table clean with a dishrag. The girls greeted him, and then asked for Cologne's whereabouts. The man directed them to the kitchen. There, they found Cologne sitting down and enjoying a cup of tea. Taking a glance at the positively giddy state of the two girls, Cologne smiled at them.

"I take it that your weekend was productive, girls?" They nodded.

"We have much much news, Great-Grandmother!" Cologne bade the two girls sit and pour themselves some tea. They did so, and then proceeded to tell Cologne the events that had occurred during their weekend training from Ranma's crash landing interruption to Ukyo's conversation with Kasumi. Cologne listened, and when the two girls were finished recounting, clapped her hands in delight.

"Very good, very good. More and more you prove that adopting you as an Amazon was a wise decision, Ukyo. You have helped your husband greatly, as even I was unaware of these blocks. I look forward to the day when the two of you marry Son-in-Law and become full-fledged Amazons. As for the situation with Kasumi Tendo, I believe we must exhibit a wait-and-see approach. I trust Son-in-Law will inform her presently of the solution that you girls have decided upon. Whether or not she will accept is another matter. In the meantime, continue as you have been. If the Tendo engagement is indeed transferred to Kasumi, perhaps you two can include her in your training to help strengthen your bonds with one another."

The two girls nodded in agreement. Ukyo glanced at the clock, and noticing that it was nearly 6PM, decided that she had to return to the Ucchan's. Smiling mischievously, she waved farewell to Cologne and then quickly kissed Shampoo on the lips before dashing away with a cry of "Bai-bai, Airen!". Cologne took one look at Shampoo's stupefied expression and burst out laughing.

While Shampoo attempted to explain Ukyo's actions to Cologne, Mousse had managed to enter Cologne's room and was now standing in front of the box containing the Burst Heart. He bit into his right thumb and swiped some blood onto the seal holding the box closed. As he had thought, the seal relaxed and then peeled off of the box of its own accord. Mousse gave a whispered thanks to his great-grandmother, and then opened the chest. A small, red, hexagonal jewel, approximately three inches long, gave off a soft glow from where it was placed atop a velvet cushion inside the box. Mousse withdrew a small metal box and a pair of large tongs from his voluminous sleeves. Gingerly gripping the jewel with the tongs, he quickly placed it inside the small box, before stuffing both items back inside his sleeves. He closed the Burst Heart's previous container and then reapplied the seal using some tape. Smiling evilly to himself, he leapt out the window.

_I hope you sleep well tonight, Saotome, for tomorrow, YOU DIE!_

Author's Note: Well, it took a bit longer than I had anticipated, but here's Chapter Two of SRatWH. I hope the extra length makes up for the delay in posting. Unfortunately, Chapter Three may be even longer in coming out, as my recent employment has shaved off serious amounts of writing time. Ah well. As always, reviews, comments, and constructive criticisms are welcome. The Dreaming Immortal sleeps on.


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